Shalom

I have longed for thy salvation, O L-RD; and thy Torah is my delight. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments. Psalm 119:174-176

10 November 2014

It seems that after the Twelve Tribes has begun being exposed in Germany, that their community in Winnipeg, Canada is also being exposed.

I've been trying to track down any news on the subject since the story broke, but there isn't much being shared at the moment. While I was looking to see if there was any further information, I found that the Winnipeg community has been in the news before.

Most folks know the Twelve Tribes by their "Common Sense Deli", which opened in 2010. Others may know them by their online yerba maté store, their "intentional community" or their "Little Mountain Farm" which is an all organic farm that anyone can come to and work on for a time through WWOOF. They are also known for their homeschooling operations, which is registered in Winnepeg as a "Non-Funded Independent School", where they teach grades 1-10.
From what I can tell, the commune has been in Winnipeg for the last 21 years, after moving from Nova Scotia. Since 2013, the Twelve Tribes in Winnipeg have expanded their operations to include a bakery at their deli location, moved from Sherbrook Street to Rue Des Meurons and additionally opened a "Common Sense Natural Foods", and "Common Sense Storehouse".

In 1992-1997 they were under investigation due to child abduction allegations in the Steven Wooten Case.

Joe Hawkins has been quite upset about his wife keeping their children in the commune against his wishes, and his inability to get custody of their children. He has been blogging about the issue for quite a while, and referenced in these recentblog posts.

On October 21st, news broke that the Twelve Tribes have been implicated in child abuse charges. They have defended their use of implements and corporal punishment methods, a reporter detailed his six weeks with their commune. Former members of the Twelve Tribes faced off on CBC Radio about child rearing methods, mind control and spiritual abuse the experienced. Current members defended their beliefs and corporal punishment practices.

My very first night at their house on East Gate, I wandered around
the premises a little to scope out the place. That very first evening I
managed to find five of the rods that were described by ex-members. They
are slender wooden sticks roughly 60 centimetres long. I found one
above a cabinet in the main floor washroom, one in the classroom they
turned into a guest bedroom for me, and three in the basement.
Over the course of the next six weeks I would locate as many as 20
different rods. Usually they were in places you wouldn’t run across them
as a casual visitor. It was unsettling to come across these rods and
hold one in my hand.CBC: Opinion: My six weeks with Winnipeg’s Twelve Tribes community